Chronicle of the Horse | Untacked | July August 2019

JULY/AUGUST 2019

MOROCCO’S FA NTASTI C FA N TA S I A

Summer Travel Issue From Virginia To New Zealand

A SUPPLEMENT TO THE CHRONICLE OF THE HORSE

BARBARA COWAN PHOTO/@RHUBARBZEBRA

LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS

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Seeing The World WITH LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS

Contributors to the “Life Between The Ears” social media accounts transport us to the world’s most interesting and beautiful places— all viewed from the saddle. Here we share a few of their images.

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CAITHNESS, SCOTLAND Barbara Cowan first learned to ride as a child at a pony

where Cowan was born. Thurso was coveted by Vikings

trekking center adjacent to this piece of Dunnet Beach

for its access to the Scottish mainland.

on the northern coast of Scotland. The luminous clouds

The county of Caithness is known for its sea cliffs,

and calm water in her photo belie the shoreline’s

which afford the opportunity to watch birds like

reputation as a mysterious place where old Viking

puffins, and it’s a favorite spot for surfers in the winter,

magic isn’t forgotten.

despite frigid water temperatures.

“As teenagers we would ride the ponies without

Cowan owns an art gallery, picture-framing shop and

saddles and take them to swim in the sea,” Cowan

gift shop in town, and she’s married her passions for

says. “I was also told many stories about banshees and

art and horses in her work as an animal portrait artist.

mermaids in the area, so the beach has always been a

Cowan bought Mutley five years ago from a friend in

bit of a magical place for me. It is my favorite place to

Inverness, Scotland. He fractured his hind leg in a pasture

take my horse, Mutley. He is rather suspicious of the

accident eight weeks after Cowan brought him home.

waves on the beach, so we leave the swimming to the mermaids!”

Mutley is Cowan’s 18-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, and he lives with Cowan in the town of Thurso,

“After a lot of box rest and rehab, he came fit and sound again. The vets say he is very lucky!” Cowan says. “I do a bit of everything with Mutley, including eventing; we both love cross-country.”

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LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS

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LAKE TEKAPO, NEW ZEALAND Ginny Sutton got a Welsh Mountain Pony named

morning!” Sutton says. “I am extremely lucky to call

Topsy for her fourth birthday and has been passionate

Tekapo home.”

about horses ever since. She studied environmental management and ecology in college and worked for a

Keith, like many of the horses at Mackenzie Alpine Horse Trekking, is a retired Standardbred race horse.

research management company after graduation, but

“The original intention was not to rehome race

she soon realized she wanted a job that let her spend

horses,” Sutton says. “It was to find reliable, safe

more time outdoors. Her lifetime of riding experience

horses for beginners to ride, but the Standardbred

made her a perfect fit for the Mackenzie Alpine Horse

horses ended up being the best breed for the job.

Trekking in Lake Tekapo, New Zealand, where she

Being able to provide a loving home for them when

works as a guide.

they otherwise might not have had a chance is a very

This photo through Keith’s ears shows a field of lupin

rewarding added bonus. In New Zealand it is typically

flowers at the base of Mount John. The top of Mount

difficult to rehome Standardbred horses after they

John is home to two unique sites: the University of

have been raced; they are just not a popular choice,

Canterbury Mount John Observatory, which houses

but for us they have all the right qualities.”

New Zealand’s largest optical telescope, and the

Sutton said the horses generally settle easily

Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve,

into their new life as mellow and trustworthy trail

which is one of 12 IDS reserves in the world.

companions. They roam “almost free range” on Mount

“Knowing I will see views like these every day, especially in spring when the lupins bloom, make

John overnight and return to the trekking center every morning for breakfast.

SHARING LIFE BETWEEN THE EARS

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ince 2008, Life Between The Ears founder Kristine Dahms has posted stunning photos shot by riders in all corners of the world with one hand on the reins and the other on the shutter. Dahms mines photos with the hashtag #lifebetweentheears, contacts the original poster of the image, then features the photo, complete with educational details about the place that’s portrayed.

Life Between The Ears photos appear on a LBTE Facebook page, an Instagram feed, a dedicated website (lifebetweentheears.com), a Twitter feed and a Pinterest page (all under @lifebetweentheears account names).

Dahms—who lives in Vashon, Washington, with her Welsh Cob, mini horse, pygmy goats, two dogs and two cats—rides dressage and takes quite a few photos herself on the picturesque Vashon-Maury Island.

Dahms has taken some of the Life Between The Ears images from cyberspace to print, creating three lines of greeting cards with selected photos from her social media pages.

A portion of the proceeds from the card sales goes to the Equine Land Conservation Resource (elcr.org). Cards are available at lifebetweentheears.com/retail.

RICK DAHMS PHOTO

GINNY SUTTON PHOTO/@GINNY.SUTTON AND @TEKAPOHORSES

it incredibly easy to get out of bed for work in the

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